Shirts
by Historyexplorer12
Summary: Phaedros Amyntor wears his boyfriend's shirts a lot of the time. Here are some instances where he does just that. Disclaimer: Xander & Phai belong to Oliver Stone & themselves. Warning: Modern AU, Phai's name changed to fit modern setting, alphabetical ordering of connected oneshots, swearing
1. Alone

**AN: I've never written and posted a Modern AU for this fandom before, so it might suck. I'm so sorry if it does. For those of you that do see this, enjoy!**

Alexander Megalos stood by the door to his apartment, shrugging on his leather jacket as he got ready to leave for the graveyard shift at the local clinic just a few streets away. His boyfriend of five years, and friend since childhood, Phaedros Amyntor, sat in an armchair in the living room in his boxers and a t-shirt reading a book.

"I'm going now, Love," Alexander strolled into the room where his boyfriend was and leaned down to recieve and give a kiss, "Call me if-"

"-anything happens, lock the door before I go to bed, feed Peritas, etc. etc. I know, Dearest. You've had this job for three months now, I think I've got the routine figured out."

Alexander smiled brightly, showing off perfectly straight white teeth, "All right. I'm serious though- Call me if anything happens. I'm right down the street," he checked the watch that was always on his right wrist, "I gotta go," he recieved another quick kiss, "See you in the morning!" and he was out the door.

Phai, which was Alexander's nickname for his boyfriend, watched his boyfriend go before turning to his novel that he had to finish for class the next day. But after two hours, the book was done, Peritas was fed, and the door was locked. Phai was completely alone.

Realizing this fact as he watched the darkening sky, he decided to fix his problem. Walking into the bedroom determinedly, he heard the muffled sound of Peritas' paws in the gray shag carpet as he followed him in there. Turning toward the closet that he and Alexander shared, he pet Peritas' head as the black Alopekis butted his head against Phaedros' hip, knowing that he too was missing Alexander.

"It's okay, Boy, I miss him too," with that, Phai turned back to the closet, and, after a minute or two of indecision, took out Alexander's shirt of dark blue cotton and put it on, the act of wearing one of his lover's shirts helping him to not feel so alone.


	2. Busy

When they were both too busy to spend a lot of time together; Hephaestion with his morning and afternoon classes at the university with hopes to become an archivist at the local museum, and Alexander with his graveyard shift job at the clinic, Hephaestion would slip on one of Alexander's shirt and wear it as he went about his day.

This busyness of the couple had been most evident as of late, with Phaedros trying to push himself through midterm exams, and the clinic's growing trust in Alexander. As this was the case, Phaedros was home alone more nights than not, and staying up past midnight more often than not. Because of this, Phaedros was growing more tired by the day. And more lonely. There were even nights he would let Peritas up on the bed just so he had a companion to sleep next to at night.

Finally, one morning, Phaedros had had enough. He was not some weak damsel in distress, no matter if Alexander teased him for watching those cheesy romantic movies. He would find a solution, or die trying. Of course, he knew Alexander would become worried and beg him nonstop not to die if he knew he was thinking like this. He gave a small smile in one of the oval mirrors in the bathroom as he worked on brushing his long hair back into a low ponytail.

Then he startled as a solution came to him, the brush tugging just a little too hard on a knot at the base of his ponytail in his surprise, causing him to make a short, high yelp of pain. Once his ponytail was firmly in place and his surprise had died a little, he snapped his fingers, scaring Peritas to a stand.

"I'm sorry, Boy. Did I startle you?" he soothed before explaining himself, "I figured out a solution to my problem, Peri! Which means no more sleeping in our bed for you!" he was so excited that Peritas barked anyway, feeling his human companion's energy, "I know, I know, I love you too, Boy. Come on!" and he walked into the bedroom once more, throwing open the closet doors.

After some time going through his boyfriend's overshirts, Phaedros chose a white shirt that was in a plaid pattern that had light blue and green lines making the pattern. Slipping the shirt on carefully, he gave a heavy sigh of relief and happiness. Pulling up the collar, he breathed his boyfriend's unique scent in for a moment, and then went back to studying. From then on, the night seemed less pressing and he was able to study fully without feeling overwhelmed with homework and lonliness.

**AN: Not sure if this fit the bill for the letter "B," but I tried. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!**


	3. Cold

**AN: I am SO sorry this took so long to add to this story! I just had no inspiration for what the "C" should have been. I know that's no excuse, but please know that I never forgot about this story. Again, I am so sorry. On the other hand, if any of you have suggestions for future letters, please let me know and I'll see what I can do. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

"_Fuck winter_," Phaedros thought bitterly as he layered one of Alexander's sweatshirts over his own. Not only was this the coldest winter for the city on record, but it was their first winter in the apartment. And Alexander had gone to work. In fact, it was midnight, and Phai, who had class at eight in the morning, hadn't gotten any sleep yet because it was so cold, and their radiator had given out just a few minutes ago. At least they still had electr-

"_Well, fuck electricity then too, I guess_," he thought as the lights above his head in the closet where they stored extra blankets and things suddenly gave out.

Suddenly his phone buzzed with a new text message and he fished it from the pocket on the front of Alexander's sweatshirt. Seeing it was Alexander who had texted him, he gave a sigh of relief before opening his phone and hitting the phone app in the bottom left corner of the first screen, and then finding Alexander's name in his contacts, waiting impatiently as his phone speed dialed his boyfriend.

"Hey, Love," Alexander's voice came over the phone.

"Thank the gods above," Phaedros sighed again in relief.

"Phai? Is something wrong?" Phaedros could hear the concern in his lover's voice and was sure Alexander was gripping his own phone just a little closer to his ear.

"I hate winter. The radiator's out so there's no heat, there's no electricity so the electric blanket we have will not work, and I haven't slept at all because every part of my body is freezing, even with three pairs of boxers, two pairs of pajama pants, a pajama top, and two sweatshirts on. Oh, and Peri in our bed. And I have class at eight!"

"_Every_ part of your body?"

"Oh, for the love of Hades, why does everything have to be about sex with you?!"

"Okay, all right. I'm sorry. Well, it looks like the whole town has no electricity, so I'll be home in fifteen minutes at most. I'll stop at the store to grab hot cocoa, hot water bottles, candles, matches, and a mini generator. Anything else, Love?"

"No… You're a gift from the gods…"

"So I've heard. Get tucked into bed with the dog and I'll be home as soon as I can be. Love you."

"Love you… but I absolutely hate winter…"

Alexander's laugh came over the phone connection, "I know, Love. You always have. Be home in a tick."

With that, the phone conversation ended, and Phai stumbled back to bed, curling up with Peritas. He was half asleep when he felt and heard the dog get shooed off the bed, and hot water bottles were placed in the spot he had just left. Then he felt Alexander's weight dip the bed the smallest bit before his boyfriend cuddled in close, taking him into his arms.

"Xan'er?" he questioned sleepily.

"Shh… We'll save the hot cocoa and candles for tomorrow, all right? I love you. Get some sleep. I don't think you'll have class tomorrow, so we can spend the whole day in bed if you want."

"'Kay… Xan'er?"

"Yes, Love?"

"Love you…"

"I love you too. I always will. Now get some sleep."

But Phaedros was already asleep, and hadn't heard his boyfriend. So Alexander just smiled, kissed his boyfriend's forehead in goodnight, and lay down beside him to await the end of their first winter storm in their new home.


	4. Depressed

**Warning: Contains mentions of Bipolar Disorder and Seasonal Affective Disorder. I do not have either of these conditions, but I do have family friends that have them. Anyway, it is not my intention to offend anyone and I am very sorry if how I portray the conditions is wrong in any way. Please enjoy!**

Phai had always been depressed and moody during the winter, or at least he had been since Alexander had met him at the age of fifteen. At the age of twenty, after a several years of witnessing this sudden change in his usually happy and vibrant then best friend Alexander had taken Phaedros to the biggest hospital in Michigan, where they had lived at the time. Once Phai was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder with a side diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder, otherwise known as Seasonal Depression or S.A.D., Alexander had made quick work of uprooting their lives and moving them to New York, where there were much better hospitals and doctors, or at least he believed so.

As this was the case, Alexander often came home to a very happy, very affectionate boyfriend, but there were times which were most common in the fall and winter seasons, where he would come home to a distressed household, with Phaedros curled on their bed with his eyes raw from crying even though tears still fell from his ocean-blue eyes. Peritas would always be curled on the floor by the bed, worried for his master.

Such was the case now.

Alexander had walked into the apartment at eight in the morning expecting to see the kitchen light on and a note from his boyfriend on the kitchen island saying that a plate of eggs and either sausage or bacon was in the fridge and that Phai had gone to his eight-in-the-morning class, but when he walked into the apartment and didn't find these things, which sometimes did happen, alarm bells went off in his head. Dropping his things where he stood by the door, he rushed to their bedroom, knowing his boyfriend needed him.

What he found broke his heart, just like every other time he had seen it. Peritas had snuck into their bed and was curled at Phaedros' feet while Alexander's boyfriend lay curled on his side of the bed, layered in at least three of Alexander's shirts, sobbing into his own pillow.

Silently going to the occupied side of the bed, he squatted down and pet Phaedros' long, brown hair away from his face. The touch was enough to get Phai to look at him and reach for him when he realized his boyfriend had come home.

"Phai…" Letting him cling to him, Alexander shifted them around so that he could lay in the bed too, Peritas having been shooed off the bed as soon as Alexander had seen what was happening with his lover. Once they were settled, Alexander drew Hephaestion in closer to him.

"It's okay to have a bad day… The doctors, your professor, and I understand if you need a day away from it all. Just relax, I'm here…"

"I got up at six… and by eight I felt so tired I crawled back into bed and I just couldn't get back up again! I'm useless! I can't do anything!"

"That's not true. You are not useless and you can do whatever you want to do. And I love you, just like I always have. Did you take your meds?"

"Yes… I know I did… That's the first thing I do every morning. But I just feel so lousy and I don't deserve you! I'm sorry I'm not a better-!"

"Phaedros Amyntoros, you stop that thought right there. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, no matter what. I love you, and I'm here for you, always. Now, I'm going to check your meds and then we're going to get you into a soothing bath, how's that sound?"

"Good…" Phai sniffed and wiped his eyes free of unshed tears, giving his lover a ghost of a smile, " 'm sorry…"

"Nothing to be sorry for, Love. I love all of you, all the time. Always. Never doubt that. Can you sit up for me? I'll get you into a warm bath before I check your meds and cook you something to eat. It'll be okay, I'm here, you are not alone."

"When I realized you were gone, I started to cry and couldn't stop…"

"I'm just a phone call away, you know that right? I'm never far from you. I couldn't live if I was."

"Don't say that… Please don't say that…" new tears fell from the corners of Phaedros' eyes, but he didn't truly begin to cry like he had been doing before.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," to settle his boyfriend down, Alexander pressed a soft kiss to his forehead as he was carrying him to the small bathroom. Being gentle with the love of his life, Alexander set Hephaestion on the closed lid of the toilet before standing to check the cabinet above the sink, where their medications, from the simple pain relief pills to Phai's medication were kept, going by the week with one of those weekly pill containers. The day's spot was empty of the two pills Hephaestion took every morning, so Alexander put the container back in the cabinet before turning back to his love and finally starting to fill the bathtub with warm water.

"I'm tired, Xander…"

"I know, Dearest. You can relax soon," Phaedros' doctors and counselors had advised Alexander on what kinds of things to say or not to say when his boyfriend was depressed or manic, or even somewhere in the middle. To say he wasn't tired or sad when he said he was was one of the top warnings. Alexander checked the heat of the water before effortlessly helping Phaedros out of one of Alexander's shirts and a pair of Phaedros' black boxer briefs, quickly dropping a kiss onto the distressed man's collarbone before coaxing him to lift a leg over the side of the tub and slip into the medium hot water. This did not stop a broken sob and a lone tear from coming from Phaedros as he stared down into the water, his head hung dejectedly. Alexander ran his fingers through his boyfriend's long hair that he loved so much as he too stripped and climbed into the bath.

His actions were met with a lifted head and a shocked -almost frightened- look from the man seated opposite him.

"Xan- what are you doing?"

"Thought you could use some company," Alexander smiled; there was no implication in his words or the simple gesture, the slightly younger man simply wanted his partner to feel his presence and feel strength from it.

"But- you-"

"Phai, listen to me. You are perfect to me. Your illness does not make you you. It is only a part of you. A small part. But I love all of you, illness or no. I love the way you make me laugh. I love the way you can talk about the things you see and learn in class _for hours_. I love the way you get so engrossed in a book that nothing I do can draw your attention away from it. Those are the things that make you who you are, and I could not love you any less for any of them, and that includes your disorder. Do you understand? I love you."

There was a moment of silence after Alexander finished his speech, and then Phaedros spoke up while staring down into the water where his legs were spread to give Alexander some room to fit his own legs.

"Xan'er, I know you're absentminded and all, but-" here he let out an unintentional giggle-snort, "you can't just climb into the tub with your socks still on your feet!" he finally burst out laughing and Alexander could say without contest that Phaedros' laugh in that moment was the most beautiful, pure sound he had ever heard.


	5. Excited

It was a week after the big storm that had enslaved New York, and Phaedros could not be happier. And excited. He and Alexander had no work or school, as the snow was still piled high in the streets. As this was the case, Alexander had promised they would find a resort up north to go sledding and maybe even ice skating.

Even if this was a good day, Alexander had reminded his boyfriend to pack his medication. He and Phaedros had long ago learned to take days minute by minute, as Phaedros had little control over his mood swings without- or even with- the medication. But for now, Phaedros was happy and content. He prayed to whatever gods would listen that he would stay that way all day long.

"Love, are you ready? Do you have your medication?" Alexander came into the bedroom from the bathroom, bundled into a puffy snowsuit.

"Y-" Phaedros turned to his lover and burst out laughing.

Alexander understood why his boyfriend was laughing and from the look on his face he didn't appreciate it. His hands went to his hips, and Phaedros was lost in tears of laughter, "Oh c'mon now, Phai! Stop it! I don't look that funny!"

"No, you look adorable!" Phaedros took on baby talk as he went to take Alexander's face in his hands and kiss him gently on the lips, "Gods, I need a camera."

"All right, all right, get off me," Alexander pushed him away gently while Phaedros giggled.

"I'm so excited. It's been so long since we took a few days off. I need it," he sighed contently, and Alexander saw how truly exhausted his boyfriend was, the remainders of the last week, which had consisted of the one really bad day and two more moderately bad days, showing on Phaedros' face.

But it made Alexander love his boyfriend even more to see his tiredness. He was a warrior. There was no other word for it. Alexander could not fight the way his sweet Phai did. Every day was a struggle, and yet Phaedros' prevailed and survived. His boyfriend was his hero.

"I love you, so much," he told him quietly, stepping closer again and taking Phaedros' face in his hands and kissing him softly on the lips. The excitement of a short vacation and just the sense of freedom allowed the kiss to gain heat and passion, and both Alexander and Phaedros started to peel out of their snowsuits as they made their way to the bed. However, it didn't get that far. As Phaedros pulled his arms from his suit, Alexander pulled away, staring at the sweater his boyfriend wore.

"Is that… Is that the sweater that Mother got me two Christmases ago? I hate that sweater."

Phaedros had the decency to look uncomfortable, "Yes… I love wearing your shirts… And it was just in the closet, tucked away in the corner… I thought you wouldn't mind… It smells like you, and you make me feel safe no matter how I'm feeling… I'm sorry…"

Alexander's anger melted at the sight of Phaedros' shame, "No need to be sorry, Love. I don't mind, not really. Stunned me is all. Do you always wear my shirts? I guess that explains why I always have more laundry than you."

This last statement caused Phaedros to laugh out loud, and Alexander decided, that yes, it was a great day.


	6. Frantic

"Argh! Where is it, where is it? Where in Hades is it? Gods, please!" Phaedros screamed at his laptop, ready to throw the computer across the living room from where his writing desk was situated by the couch.

Alexander ran in from the kitchenette where he was preparing dinner and panicked when he heard his boyfriend's scream of anger, only to find Phaedros tearing at his own hair and visibly shaking.

"Love, what happened, what's wrong?"

"My twenty-page paper on the archeology and history of the Alexander Sarcophagus is gone! I can't find it! It's due in a week! I can't breathe, I can't breathe…" when he started to gasp for air, Alexander came forward to sooth him.

"Phai, there's no reason to panic. Take deep, slow breaths. Here, sit down. I'll get you a pill and a Valium-"

Phaedros whirled on his lover, frustrated, angry, and stressed, "I don't want my pills, I want my paper that I spent three weeks working on and was almost finished with!" suddenly, he clapped a hand over his mouth and mumbled, "I'm gonna be sick…" before rushing to the bathroom and heaving into the toilet helplessly.

Alexander was worried for his lover, but knew that if he found the missing paper, his Phai's worries and stress would be no more. So he made his way to Phai's laptop while his heart clenched at the sounds of his other half's distress.

After looking for the elusive paper for a half hour, Alexander was ready to give up when he clicked on the last unopened file on the desktop. Seeing the file was thirty pages long, he thought that maybe, just maybe, he had found Phai's paper. But this paper was for one of Phaedros' science classes. That wasn't right. But still. Alexander shrugged and began scrolling through the paper. Ten pages in, there was another header. "The Alexander Sarcophagus: History and Archeology." Not only that, but at the very top of the first page, under Phaedros' name, were the words "Final Draft."

"I found it, Love! I found it," Alexander rushed into the tiny bathroom where Phaedros was still sick.

"Thank the gods… Help me, Xander…"

Alexander softened, kneeling down by his suffering love, "What do you need me to do? I hate seeing you like this…" he brushed hair from his eyes.

"My head hurts…"

As was Phaedros' preference, Alexander stepped around him to grab a clean washcloth from the rack on the wall between the sink and the tub, only to wet it under cold water and dab his brow.

"Let me get you a Gatorade. I'll be right back."

"Yellow please-" Phaedros gagged into the bowl again.

"Yellow is the only kind we have, Love. It's the only kind you like when you don't feel well," Alexander reminded him as he bounded over to the kitchenette to grab a plastic glass from a cupboard and fill it with some water. This and a chilled Gatorade from the fridge made their way into the bathroom, "Are you done? Okay, relax. Swish and spit, and then you can sip the Gatorade if you feel up to it. Sit back on me."

Once Phaedros relaxed, he went boneless, trusting his boyfriend to hold and support him, still struggling for air.

"C-can't catch m-my b-breath…" Phaedros rasped.

"Shh, shh, you're okay," Alexander rubbed his boyfriend's back with long, open-palmed strokes.

"D-dying… I'm dying… Can't breathe…"

"You're not dying. Remember what Dr. Keelman said. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Try it with me. Inhale-"

"I can't!" Phaedros began to sob.

"Yes, you can. Do you want to get into the bath and soak for awhile?"

"N-n-n- Can't- breathe-"

"Relax. Nothing bad will happen to you. I'm here-"

"I need to go to the E.R! I can't breathe, I can't breathe!"

"Shit!" Alexander, knowing that Phaedros was terrified of hospitals and avoided them when he could, knew that if his boyfriend was asking to go, it was best to take him in. He set Phai down as gently as he was able, and then ran to the living room to get his cellphone off the coffee table, dialing a number frantically, "Chase? Thank the gods. I need you here now. Phai's having a severe panic attack. I need help getting him to the hospital. Thanks," he rushed back to the bathroom to help Phai change into some warm, loose pajamas.

"Help me, Xan'er… I don't want to die…" By this point two minutes later, Phaedros was sobbing helplessly, wheezing as he tried to draw in air.

"You are not going to die, not on my watch. You hear me?" Just then, the outer door to the apartment opened and shut, and Chase's voice rang through the apartment, "In here, Chase!"

"I've got blankets in the car. What brought it on?" As one of Alexander's friends, Chase McClintock, stopped in the bathroom doorway.

"He thought he lost his paper for class. Which reminds me, can you pack up his laptop, the charger, one of my over-shirts, and his pillow? And put Peri in his crate with some water and food please?"

"Got it," he got up and went to the living room.

"Peri-" Phaedros wheezed at the mention of the dog.

"Shh… Peri will be fine. I'm more concerned about you."

"My chest hurts…"

"I know, Love, just try to relax," with those soft words, Alexander brought a hand down to rub Phaedros' chest over his pajama top, making shushing noises as he did so.

"Car's packed and I called the E.R. They said it'll be a wait, but they'll be able to help him. You ready to go?"

"Yup. Here we go, Love. Hang onto my neck. One-Two-Three- Up."

"Insurance…"

"Got 'em, Love. Don't worry. Chase, lock the door please. Spare key's under the mat."

"Got it."

"Xan,' I don't feel good… I'm cold…" Phaedros complained weakly.

"We're going as fast as we can, Love. I promise you'll be all right."

"Can't breathe…"

"Shh, shh… I'm right here. You're safe."

"Shit, I hate New York," Alexander looked up at Chase's exclamation.

"What?"

"Damn traffic jam."

"Crap. Okay. Chase, do you have a paper bag anywhere in here?"

"Yeah," with traffic at a full stop, Chase was able to reach over to the glove compartment and rifle through it before handing a paper bag back to Alexander and getting back into his seat before buckling up again.

"Okay, Love. We might be here awhile, so we're gonna improvise, okay? I'm gonna sit you next to me and buckle you in. All I need you to do is sit tall and breathe calmly into the bag. In and out, in and out."

"I c-can't… Don't leave me, Alexander!" His hand clenched Alexander's wrist hard enough to bruise.

"Not leaving. Never ever leaving. Just focus on breathing. In and out."

"Why are we not moving?!"

"We'll move in a minute, Love. Just focus on breathing and my voice. Close your eyes and breathe."

"Don't want to close my eyes! Don't want to lose you! Ow, ow, ow!" Phaedros clutched at his chest, pitching forward in the seat before leaning back again, "I'm having a heart attack!"

"Phai, listen to me: You are not having a heart attack. Your mind is fighting against your body. But it's okay, because you are safe. You are not dying, and I am here. Just try to stay calm. Let's try to Tap and Count, okay?" He held out his free hand, palm up.

Phaedros reached out hesitantly before starting his coping method that they had discovered six months after his diagnosis. One tap to Alexander's pinky for the number one, two to his right ring finger, three to his middle finger, and so on until he began to calm down.

Chase watched this in the rear view mirror, and whistled lowly, "Shit. That worked fast. We still need the E.R.?"

Phaedros sagged, completely worn out, eyes lidded with exhaustion. However, he did not stop counting on Alexander's fingers, "I would, Chase, yeah. At least to let them check him out. That was a long one, huh? Shh, it's okay," when Phai cuddled close, murmuring in his half-sleep, "Yes, that's right, just relax. I've got you. We're moving now, we're almost there."

"Mmm…" Phaedros hummed contently before falling asleep fully.

* * *

"Wake up, Love. Good boy. I know you want to sleep, but the nurse is here to give you your new dose of medication so we can go home and you can rest and eat some Avgolemono soup that I'm going to make you."

"Mr. Amyntor? Here's your new dose of medication. We contacted your physician and he suggested using a higher dose so that's what we did. Just take this prescription to the hospital pharmacy and they will sort it out for you," the nurse slowly yet kindly explained.

"Oh gods, not more medication…" Phaedros' complained, "I'm too tired… Go away…"

"Love, she's just doing her job. I know it sucks," Alexander came to Phaedros' bedside and rubbed his belly, which Phaedros' had been holding with one arm, "Are you cold? It's okay," even as he said this, Alexander started to button his own overshirt which he had somehow gotten onto Phai just as they had entered the hospital, "It's just a higher dose of the meds you're taking now-"

"I. Don't. Fucking. Want. It, Phaedros growled, while staring at his lover, a sign he was well and truly furious.

"If you don't take it on your own, they'll just hook you up to an I.V, Love," Alexander tried to rationalize with him.

"Like Hades they will! It makes me sick, Xander! I feel like a zombie on that crap!"

"You've taken it for years. I don't-" Alexander was confused.

"Yeah, but do you remember when I first started taking it, and the stupid doctors kept fluctuating the dose? I was either too happy, mad, or crying. Or asleep! I don't remember that first full year of taking it because I was asleep for most of it. I will not do that again. I won't!" He had begun to wheeze again as his heart rate spiked on the monitor under the gown and Alexander's shirt, "I know we've been together for five years, but to me it feels like four!"

"Okay, all right, shh," Alexander tried to appease his frantic boyfriend while keeping one eye on the noisy monitor, "We won't fuss with your medication. But we have to do something, Love. I hate seeing you in pain like this," he brushed a lock of hair away from Phaedros' eyes tenderly.

"Just take me home. Please, Xander," Phaedros' eyes shone with tears as he looked up at his boyfriend, clinging onto his hand.

"Can we at least get you an inhaler or something? That wheeze is worrying me."

"I wouldn't wheeze if I could sleep off my attack! Fine, whatever… I'm too tired to fight…" He lay back in the bed, beyond exhausted.

The nurse hurried away at his submission and Alexander's nod of allowance. She came back quickly to tell them that the pharmacy was working on getting an inhaler for him because she had talked to the doctor that was looking after him.

"In the meantime, you can sleep," she gave Phaedros a sympathetic smile.

"Thank gods," Phaedros flipped over onto his right side, away from her, and promptly fell asleep.

"I'm sorry, he's not usually like this. Thank you for all your help," Alexander whispered as she smiled again and left the room.

"Xan'er?" It seemed that his Phai was not completely asleep, "Lay with me? Please?"

Unable to deny his boyfriend anything, Alexander did so, but not without chastising him a little bit as he did so, "She was just trying to help, Love. It's her job."

Phaedros was remorseful, "I know. I'm sorry, Xander. I'm just so tired…"

Alexander kissed the back of his head from where he lay in the small single-sized bed, curled around his lover, "I know. I love you, no matter if you're being tetchy or not. Now close your eyes and sleep."

Phaedros did so, and Alexander followed suit soon after. It was how the nurse found them two hours later when she came to give Phaedros his new inhaler.


End file.
